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EP-4736633-A1 - IRRIGATION MACHINE WITH ROTATING CANTILEVER ARM

EP4736633A1EP 4736633 A1EP4736633 A1EP 4736633A1EP-4736633-A1

Abstract

An irrigation machine (1) comprises a wing (10) on which irrigators are distributed and at one end of which an arm (3) suspended in cantilever-like fashion is jointed and rotatable, wherein the arm is also provided with irrigators, and able to be arranged in a plurality of angularly spaced operating positions, including a position aligned with the wing (10), a position perpendicular to the wing (10) and an intermediate position between the aligned position and the perpendicular position.

Inventors

  • VANDELLI, Davide

Assignees

  • FARMFRONT S.p.A.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20251103

Claims (8)

  1. An irrigation machine (1) comprising a wing (10) on which irrigators are distributed and at one end of which an arm (3) suspended in cantilever-like fashion is jointed and rotatable, wherein the arm is also provided with irrigators, and able to be arranged in a plurality of angularly spaced operating positions, including at least one position aligned with the wing (10), at least one position perpendicular to the wing (10) and at least one intermediate position between the aligned position and the perpendicular position said cantilever arm (3) being able to rotate by 360 degrees.
  2. The machine (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, comprising an apparatus for rotating the cantilever arm (3) provided with a motorised slewing ring.
  3. The machine (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the cantilever arm (3) is positioned in such a way as to be able to rotate without colliding with the wing (10).
  4. The machine (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the cantilever arm (3) comprises an elongated lattice-like structure and one or more flexible tubes connected to said irrigators.
  5. The machine (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the wing (10) includes a plurality of lattice-like spans (11) and a plurality of supporting elements (12) equipped with wheels that are connected to the ends of the spans (11).
  6. The machine (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein one of the supporting elements (12) is able to be fixed, during use, and is coupled rotoidally to the wing (10), which is able to rotate about said supporting element (11), driven by a motorised apparatus with which the machine (1) is provided.
  7. The machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the machine (1) comprises one or more motorised locomotion apparatus able to enable a movement thereof along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the wing (10).
  8. The machine (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, comprising at least one sensor for detecting a position of the arm (3) and at least one processing unit configured to produce a control signal able to automatically adjust the rotation of the arm (3) as a function of the position detected by the sensor.

Description

The present invention relates to the field of irrigation machines intended for the agricultural technical field. The irrigation machines used to irrigate large-sized plots of land are made up of a series of spans consisting of metal frameworks that comprise tubes for conveying water and have multiple sprinklers. Irrigation machines can be constructed according to various configurations, including so-called "linear", "pivot" and "hippodrome" types. In the pivot type, a number of spans are arranged in a row and joined by self-propelled support elements, provided with wheels. The support element located at the innermost end of the row is fixed, i.e. it does not move and to this end it is anchored to the ground. The other support elements are motorised, and their forward movement produces the rotation of the wing around the fixed central element. In the linear type, unlike the pivot type, all the support elements are motorised, and the wing translates in a direction perpendicular to its longitudinal extension. The machine reverses direction as soon as it reaches the end of travel. Hippodrome-type machines translate like linear ones, but unlike the latter, on reaching the end of travel, they rotate 180 degrees about one of the support elements placed at the ends of the wing and then resume moving forward linearly. In some known machines, a support element placed at one end of the wing is jointed to a so-called "rotating cantilever arm". The rotating cantilever arm is a rotatable arm, which is suspended in cantilever-like fashion, is provided with respective sprinklers and has the main function of enabling the irrigation of areas situated beyond the last support element, thereby increasing the irrigated surface. The rotating cantilever S of the known machines M can rotate about a vertical axis that passes through its joint with the last span of the machine M, so as to be able to be arranged alternately in a position of alignment with the series of spans or in a position perpendicular to the spans, set back relative to the direction of motion of the machine (see figures 1 - 4). This features proves useful in the case where the machine has to irrigate field areas comprising trees, poles, buildings, or other obstacles. In fact, when the machine M travels along an area of the field free of obstacles O, the cantilever remains aligned, i.e. set at a flat angle with the row of spans, whereas when it is necessary to get past an obstacle O, the cantilever rotates and positions itself at a right angle. A limit of the known solution is that when the machine M needs to avoid an obstacle O, a significant portion P of the surrounding area of the field is not irrigated because of the size of the cantilever S, which rotates from the aligned position to the transverse one and then back again to the aligned one (see figures 3 and 4). In this context, the technical task at the basis of the present invention is to propose an irrigation machine that overcomes the abovementioned drawback. The stated technical task is achieved by an irrigation machine constructed in accordance with the appended claims. Additional features and advantages of the present invention will emerge more clearly from the approximate and thus non-limiting description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of an irrigation machine, as illustrated in the appended claims, in which: figures 1 - 4 are schematic top views of a known irrigation machine, shown in different operating configurations;figures 5 and 6 are schematic top views of a first embodiment of the irrigation machine according to the invention; andfigures 7 and 8 are schematic top views of a second embodiment of the irrigation machine according to the invention. With reference to the figures, an irrigation machine according to the invention is generically denoted by the number 1. The figures show the invention as a self-propelled irrigation machine 1 of the linear or hippodrome type (figures 7 and 8) or of the pivot type (figures 9 and 10), but it is not excluded that the inventive concept presented here may also be applied to other types of irrigation machines. The proposed machine 1 comprises a wing 10 made up of a rectilinear series of lattice-like spans 11, defined between support elements 12, or turrets, equipped with wheels. A main turret 12' of a larger size may be located at one or both ends of the wing 10, according to the type of machine. In the case of a pivot machine, the main turret 12' is a central turret, which, during use, remains stationary, and to which the wing 10 is rotatably connected so as to rotate around it to describe a circle. The support elements 12 are preferably not motorised, since there is a motorised driving apparatus mounted on the main turret 12' which draws the mobile irrigation wing 10 in rotation. If the machine 1 is of the linear or hippodrome type, it may or may not have two main turrets, each located at an opposite end of the wing 10. In the case of a linear t